Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 381 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Hantz Financial Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,256 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 381 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in STERIS by 17.1% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in STERIS by 0.9% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 11,412 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Revisor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 23.4% during the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,503 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 0.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,129,579 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $256,019,000 after purchasing an additional 9,936 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of STE opened at $235.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.53. STERIS plc has a one year low of $200.98 and a one year high of $253.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.91.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%.STERIS’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 18th. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $1,909,667.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,448,929.62. The trade was a 56.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total transaction of $994,455.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,410,467.56. This trade represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389 over the last ninety days. 1.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 14th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

STERIS Profile

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.